Apathy
by Sound Of Bells
Summary: AU, set in Victorian England. When nothing seemed to help Natsuno's illness his parents decided to move somewhere quiet and calm, Sotoba. Natsuno is determined to escape the hellhole. But why did this town awaken feelings that he couldn't feel long ago? What was making him stay? NatsunoxTohru, rating will go up to M in further chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Sotobamura**_**, a isolated town in England. The town was originally an japanese colony and the town was established during the edo period. It seemed to have stayed the way it was builded. No new buildings and only the families of the original settlers. Their traditions changed and they stopped speaking to people from outside the Sotoba walls. When they separated themselves from the rest of Japan they got forgotten. Nobody heard anything from Sotoba for decades and everyone thought that they had disappeared. So they called it The Dead Village.**

* * *

The Dead Village

_Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935)_

Here there is death. But even here,they say,

Here where the dull sun shine this afternoon

As desolate as ever the dead moon

Did glimmer on Sardis, men were gray;

and there were little children here to play,

With small soft hands that once did keep in tune

The strings that stretch from heaven, till too soon

The change came, and the music passed away.

Now there is nothing but the ghost of things, -

No life, no love, no children, and no men;

And over the forgotten place there clings

The strange and unrememberable light

This is in dreams. The music failed, and then

God frowned, and shut the village from his sight.

* * *

_Monday, April 15th 1889_

Rain was pouring down on a cold April night with sounds of thunder and lightning in the background. The thick clouds made it impossible to see the stars so it was pitch black. On the thin road there was a traveling horse carriage. The wagoner yelled at his horses and whipped them so that the trip would end sooner. Inside the carriage sat a family who was about to move in to the village. A man and a woman were sitting at the far side of the carriage. The woman had a cream ankle-length dress with puffed sleeves. The cuirass bodice was gold and had embroidered lace all the way over the square shaped neck-line. The small crinoline was making it very uncomfortable for her to sit but even with the discomfort she looked happy as she leaned her head on the shoulder of her husband. He was stroking her midnight blue hair and looked very pleased. He wore a velvet smoking jacket with a tombstone shirt and a red medallion ascot. Opposite of them sat their teenage son. He was wearing a similar outfit as his father but with darker shades. He had a bored look on his face and he was hiding his eyes behind his long violet bangs. He didn't want to have eye contact with his parents after their fight. He remembered what he had said. ''_Why do you have to be so selfish? Can't you see that I'm perfectly fine in the city! If you want to move to a creepy old village then fine. Just don't drag me along.''_

His parents had never liked living in Japan. They didn't approve the politics, education and they wanted to flee from anything new. They didn't agree to the new, less strict, rules and thought that kids nowadays had no discipline. It was the final straw when their own son managed to get expelled several times, even thought they had sent him to the strictest boarding schools in the whole country.

Sotoba was perfect for them. It was isolated from the rest of Japan, always holding together no matter what, many ground rules that the villagers had to follow to avoid chaos. When the boy had been sent back from school his fifth time, they had drastically sold their estate and loaded their belongings into a large ship that they had bought. Their maids and butlers had to resign as the family left the country, but they hired temporary employees that would follow them all the way to England. His father had even hired a tutor for the teenager so that he could study during the trip.

Three months later they arrived in London harbour just as they saw the bright light's from the beautiful city.

London was in a great industrial age but the air was horrible from all the smoke that was coming out of all the chimneys. It created a fog of air pollution. When they had dropped anchor and stepped out of their ship his parents payed a flaky man that had been waiting for their arrival. His mother had told him that the gentleman was going to let them stay at a inn for that night so they could leave early in the morning. The family and their servants left their ship as it was and followed the odd man into the city.

London was so much different than Tokyo. The streets that they walked on were filthy and the people around them looked as if they lived in poverty. The townhouses seemed like they haven't been painted for decades and people on the street walked in crowds. He remembered one man actually trying to steal one of their luggage but the man quickly got beat down by their robust servants. They arrived to a somewhat decent street and the odd man introduced himself as Ernest. Ernest opened the tavern door for the family and let the family sit at a booth in the corner while the their hirelings brought up their belongings upstairs. Ernest and his wife Florence offered them some wine and the adults talked well after closing hour while the boy sulked next to a window upstairs. The constant chit-chatting downstairs made his head ache from the foreign language, even though he had become mostly fluent in the english. When he tried to sleep in the uncomfortable bed the gas street lights with their luminous light deprived him from his sleep. The boy twisted and turned all nigh in his sleep until it was dawn. Ernest and his wife prepared a carriage for them and bid them farewell.

And so, the carriage was headed for the village where they would meet one of the Kirishiki, Tatsumi, who would take them to their new mansion. The violet haired boy leaned against the window and moved in his sleep. Another lightning struck not too far away. He let out a wary sound that was not a sigh, nor a groan and put his elbow on the windowsill as he took up his pocket watch. It's 2am.

"_If every night is like this then I'm never going sleep again.." _Thought the boy and looked out the window. Through the pitch dark he watched a silhouette appear in the rain. Behind the silhouette he could see a tall dark fence with the name Sotoba written in a gothic font. The carriage stopped and the horses let out a deep neigh.

"Guess this is the end of the line!" Exclaimed his mother and stood up.

"Byebye to freedom.'' Said the boy, still sitting and staring out the window, not even bothering to get ready. His mother seemed to get a bit upset. She knew he hated moving but he can still try to make the best of it. The father glared at the teenager.

"Can't you show some respect? This isn't like any other city out there. They actually care about keeping it nice. You should be thankful we found such a wonderful place and even got you into a great school!'' The boy stared icily back at his father. The mother sighed and braced herself for the words that were about to be spilled.

"You humour me father, this will be no different than any other town. Just because they are a bunch of control-freaks doesn't mean they can control me."

"We are doing this for your own good! You need a peaceful environment so you keep your head clear and focus on studying."

"Frankly, I don't give a damn how beautiful and peaceful it is there. Why would I even care about studying if I'm not allowed to do what I want to in my life?"

"That language will not be tolerated young man!"

The teenager rolled his eyes and continued.

"How exactly is it a great school? The village is in the middle of nowhere and they, most likely, have no real education. They probably teach you that religion bullsh-'' He was cut short when his father slapped him. He felt his chin as it began to ache. His father stepped back and rubbed his hand which had become a bit red.

There was an uncomfortable silence except for the heavy rain outside the carriage.

"Azusa we should get moving''

His mother gave an apologetic look to the teenager as they slowly stepped out of the carriage and into the rain leaving the boy inside looking daggers at them.

"Damn..'' He said and touched his cheek as he watched his reflection in the window. He had got a bruise from his dad's rough hand. "That's gonna leave a mark''

His mother had said many times "_That's his way of showing he loves you! He just want you to grow up and be a good boy''_ He wanted to spit when he thought about his mother words.

"What if I don't want to be good?.." Said the teen for himself as he hugged his knees to his chest and sighed.

Meanwhile the couple had already walked over the man who stood next to the big entrance. The man had fussy light blue hair, that stuck out in every direction, and he wore a black tuxedo.

"Welcome'' Said the man under his umbrella while giving a bow to the pair. "I'm Tatsumi the steward of the Kirishiki.''

"Nice too meet you Tatsumi-san. I'm Yuuki and this I my wife Azusa."

"I hope that you will like it here in our humble village. I've heard lots of good things about you." Said Tatsumi in a cheery voice.

The three turned around as two carriages arrived and parked.

"That's a lot of baggage you have there. I'm afraid you can't bring in servants."

Yuuki walked over to the wagoner and gave him a bag of coins. The driver nodded and jumped of the carriage and walked off into the rain. The other wagoners followed.

"You don't need to worry about them they will surely find their way back, and as for the servants the Kirishiki will provide you with a maid once you've settled.''

"How wonderful!" Exclaimed Azusa and hugged her husbands arm.

The boy got out out of the carriage and walked over to his parents who were chatting with Tatsumi. His mother turned to him and patted his head. The blue-haired steward noticed the boy.

"You must be _Natsuno_! Welcome kiddo'' Natsuno raised his eyebrows as he hissed.

"I'm not a kid. Never call me Natsuno again.''

"Natsuno! That's no way to talk to a superior!'' His mom gasped at her son's behaviour.

The man simply smiled at Natsuno. "It's okay. He will learn in time. My name is Tatsumi. Nice too meet you Yuuki-kun!''

"Whatever.'' Natsuno walked past them and headed towards the gate.

Yuuki clenched his fist and took a big breath before speaking to Tatsumi.

"I'm sorry about Natsuno's attitude. He had a rough ride and I think he is just tired'' Tatsumi gave Yuuki a sympathetic smile as they all looked over to Natsuno who started pulling the chain at the big gate.

"I think someone is excited to see their new house. Why don't you all go inside the carriage and I'll drive you to your home.'' Tatsumi walked past Natsuno and unlocked the gate.

Natsuno ignored him and turned away as he sat down on a small pillar sticking out of the ground next to the gate. He didn't realise it was wet until he had sat down. He didn't feel like standing up so he remained on the pillar. The blue haired lady stepped inside the carriage as her husband led the horses through the gate.

"We have some ground rules in Sotoba but I won't bore you with all of them now. I'm sure you will learn them all in school Yuuki-kun." Tatsumi walked over to Natsuno. The boy snorted and jumped off the pillar. Yuuki followed his wife inside the carriage and sat down next to her. Tatsumi took this opportunity and grabbed the boy's medallion ascot with a swift moment and lifter him up.

"I hope that you wont cause any trouble here. I don't have time dealing with brats like you."

Natsuno coughed and swore at the servant.

"Is there a problem?" Yuuki opened the carriage window and looked outside. Tatsumi let go of Natsuno.

"Not at all Yuuki-san!" Tatsumi smiled and patted the boys back.

"Off you go!" He closed the gate after Natsuno.

The boy adjusted his ascot and stepped inside the carriage. The family sat inside the carriage while Tatsumi took the wagoner's seat. Tatsumi whipped the horses and they were on their way inside Sotoba.

Natsuno looked out the window and saw the dark fence getting further and further away and disappearing slowly. He couldn't believe this was the last time he would ever see he outside world. He closed his eyes and wished that this day never happened.

* * *

He woke up from male voices outside the carriage. He looked at his pocket watch. _It's_ _3am._

Natsuno rubbed his eyes and decided to investigate what was going on. He stepped outside and stared in astonishment.

"This must be our new house''

The mansion was made out of gneiss and it was two story tall with a large porch. The house was huge compared to their old estate, he could hardly see the top of the house from the mist that was settling after the hard rain. Natsuno went closer to the site and looked through the black fencing that was a tipped with spikes. He touched the vines growing on it. Behind the fence was a garden, it looked like nobody had taken care of it for a long time. It stretched all the way around the house. The house had been inspired by a english castle. It wasn't creepy, even though the building was so dark and the garden had overgrown.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?''

Natsuno didn't notice that a man had been standing next to him. He wore a white brocade tailcoat and a grey vest beneath. The man had light blue hair that made his skin look pale as snow.

"It could use some gardening" Replied Natsuno and the man laughed.

"Hahaha, that's true. Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Seishirou Kirishiki. I'm the head of the village." The man had a strange appearance. They shook hands and observed the wondrous house together. It was something odd about him, but Natsuno just couldn't put a finger on it.

Tatsumi approached them after putting the last furniture inside the house.

"Would you like to come in? Your parents are already inside.'' Natsuno remained quiet and followed the looked along the dirt road. Through the mist he could see some houses like his in the distance.

Tatsumi opened the gate and it creaked from the rust as he pushed it open. They walked through the dense garden and went up the patio. There were torches lit up next to the big black front door. Natsuno opened the big door and gaped at the sight as he stepped into the house. The hall that he was currently in had a tall ceiling and a huge chandelier hanging at the top. The walls had a lovely champagne shade and the floor was made of marble with countless natural patterns running through the stone. There was a big staircase next to two large columns, made of the same material, that led up to the second floor.

Natsuno stepped over to the middle of the room with his hands in his pocket. He could hear heels tapping and music from a piano in a room nearby so he went to inspect it. The drawing room was located right next to the hall. He went through a cased opening, that had a beautifully carved lintel, and saw both his parents behind the big snow white forte piano. They had begun playing the Pastoral symphony composed by Beethoven. The pair had perfected the art of 4 hand-piano and played the music piece flawlessly with their own twist to the piece. The composition resembled their mood; a happy and grateful feeling after the storm.

The boy stood by the opening and examined the room. The forte piano, where his parents were playing, was in the center of the room. There were two golden chesterfield sofas in front of the piano and some armchairs behind it. The flame glowed and sparks flew from the burning wood in the large fireplace in the back of the room. The whole room was a bit smaller than the entrance but it had the similar characteristics. The couple started playing _staccato _and Natsuno sat down with his back to the cased opening frame and listened to the marvelous melody. The pastoral symphony was majestic even though it was simple, natural and straightforward, the piece sounded out of this world although it's solid and steady. Natsuno closed his eyes and focused on the piano. His mother began to sing the part that was supposed to be played by the clarinet. Her silvery soprano voice ringed throughout the room and echoed perfectly in sync with the piano.

Music was the only thing he and his parents had in common. They were the ones who personally taught him how to play the violin so perfect that he outplayed most professional violin players. Natsuno would always play while either his father or mother would accompany him on the piano. He had loved it, playing new tunes everyday with his family, going to a music school with other talented children and of course the fame he got in the city. Natsuno shifted as he looked out the large window and sighed. It was all great until he became a trophy child. His parents began travelling around the country, showing off their little Beethoven and made him play for people he didn't give a rat's arse about. The other kids ignored him when he began middle-school since all he was to them was a 'bootlicker'. It made him hate music, hate people and especially his parents. He became an outcast until when one day.. He cracked.

Natsuno stuck the floor with his fist as the horrifying memories came back again. The singing stopped abruptly as he did so.

"What wrong?" Asked his mother with a concerned tone.

"You know exactly what's wrong.. " He got off the floor and walked towards the big staircase as he heard her calling for him.

"Natsuno! Come sit next to us darling. We should enjoy this moment as a family." Said his father from behind the piano as he played absurdly fast triplets. Natsuno strode reluctantly back into the room and sat on a sofa. He put his elbow on the armrest and sunk down into the couch as the pair continued the piece. He heard footsteps, turned around lazily, and saw Seishirou and Tatsumi. They watched as the couple played in _ritardando_, as the piece was coming to an end, and finishing it of simultaneously with _forte risoluto. _The two men clapped their hands and Natsuno got out of the sofa and headed out of the room with twitching hands. The rage was building up inside him, he couldn't stop thinking about how his parents ruined his life _once again._

"You two are quite the pair! I've never heard anyone play like that. It was absolutely delightful!" Said the man in the white coat as he walked over to the piano.

"Thank you sir. We're very happy you found it entertaining." Said Yuuki as he shook the man's hand.

"You're very talented, why, you could even perform in the town square if you'd like! I think the villagers would be most interested." Concurred Tatsumi that had put down the last box of goods on the coffee-table

"Oh, but we have so much to do!" Sighed Yuuki and put the lid of the piano down.

"But once we're done, we would love to host a housewarming party!" Said Azusa and clapped her hands in excitement. Her husband nodded and put an arm on her shoulder.

"I'll let everyone know if you decide to do so! You should get some rest now, it almost dawn.'' Said Tatsumi and bowed as he exited the house.

"I hope that you will feel at home here. I bid you farewell." The couple bowed as Seishirou followed his servant out the front door.

Yuuki looked at Natsuno who had been standing in the hallway during their conversation. He was looking at the floor.

"You should be getting some rest. You have school tomorrow.''

Natsuno obeyed, since he didn't want to start another argument with his father, and went up the marble stairs. He walked along a big lit up hall with a with a few doors on each sides. He saw a note on the floor next to a red door and picked it up.

_Natsuno_

"They even chose the room for me.." He crumpled the paper and went inside the room. Natsuno slammed the door shut behind him as he entered his room. Shivers ran down his spine as he looked around the room.

Why was it all white? Are they trying to imprison me in some kind of asylum?

The room was not that big, to his left was his bed and a desk and in front of him stood a big wardrobe. The only thing that was letting light in the room was the window. He opened it an watched the gray sky that was hid the morning sun. There was a big tree blocking his view right next to the window. The tree had thick branches and there was one branch fairly close to his window. Natsuno climbed up on the windowsill and poked the branch. Natsuno shook the branch up and down.

"That's my escape route.'' The boy mumbled for himself. He then threw himself on his bed and drifted off to a sleepless slumber.

* * *

The sun rays came through Natsuno's bedroom window and made him squint his eyes. He sat up and brushed his bare chest. For a while he stared at the white wall.

"_Yeah, I'm still here" _He remembered and fell back onto his pillow. He had hardly sleep anything for the last three hours. He opened his eyes and watched the ceiling, it was just as white as the walls. He hated how clean and white everything was. It made him feel confined. Natsuno rolled out of bed and landed on the ruby carpet next to his bed. He turned so that he was laying on his stomach and started playing with the soft fabric.

There was a knock on the door. Natsuno twitched at the sound but remained quiet.

''Natsuno?'' It was his mother's voice. She continued knocking. ''Natsuno are you awake?''

''No'' Muttered the tired boy who couldn't get up from the floor.

''Natsuno you have to wake up. We are going to drop you off at your new school. I think Tatsumi is going to show you around.''

''Super..'' Natsuno commented sarcastically while rolling over to his back again. He and Tatsumi hadn't exactly got off at the right foot.

''Get up'' Azusa commanded. "I hung your school uniform on the knob."

''Put your clothes on and come to the dining room for breakfast.'' She said and started walking down the hall. With a groan Natsuno stood up and walked to the door and opened it. Natsuno observed his new clothes. It was a pair of black trousers, a golden tie, a simple white shirt with a high collar and a black jacked with the name Kirishiki on the right sleeve embroidered with a golden thread. The teenager said nothing and simply put the outfit on.

Natsuno made his way down the stairs and went through a glass door on his left. The dining room had a lovely flower print wallpaper and the room was huge with a table stretching across the whole room. It's length was unnecessary for such a small family. His parents sat at the far end of the table and his mother waved to him. She wore a simple white dress which was hand-embroidered and she held out a cup of tea to her son. Natsuno walked to the other side of the room and received the drink. He sat down opposite of his father who wore a kimono bathrobe and was drawing something in a notebook. Natsuno took a sip of the cup and reached for a scone. The food selection was a bit strange since it was a mix of japanese and english food, but it would pleased his rumbling stomach either way. His father and mother had started eating their miso soup so Natsuno grabbed his bowl of steamed rice and started eating in silence.

"I'm done with the sketch now, it's not really that perfect but it gives you a close impression how the garden is going to look after I'm done with it." Said Yuuki as he passed the drawing to his wife. She took some time studying it and smiled back it him.

"It will be wonderful."

"I sure hope so, because it will cost a lot of money. Especially that fountain in the back."

"You're awfully quiet today Natsuno" Remarked Azusa mid-sentence whilst passing the bowl of scones to Yuuki.

"…"

"Tatsumi came by and said that he wont be able to show you around. He will let some students help you instead. That will be fun, right?

"I'm sure it will go fine in school, just think of it as a new start! You can change all the things _you did wrong_ the last time!" Said Azusa, trying to get a reaction from her stubborn boy.

"…"

"Natsuno, cheer up honey. I know the first day may seem hard but I'm sure you'll find it bearable." She sighed and slowly drank the rest of her Earl Gray tea.

"I hope that you wont act like that in school. That's not a good way to make friends" Mumbled his father that was losing his patience for the boy. Natsuno remained quiet and so did his parents for the rest of the breakfast.

He finished his bowl walked out of the dining room and in to the main hall. There was a coat stand next to the exit which wasn't there when he arrived. Natsuno saw a pair of shoes that were obviously a part of his school uniform because of the big golden 'K' on them. He put them on and sat down in a armchair which also had been placed around the time he slept. He waited impatiently for his parents so that he could get this day over with.

* * *

The teenager felt embarrassed as he walked down the dirt road with his parents. His mother was very cheery and skipped as though she was young again. His parents held hands and commented on everything they saw in the village. Natsuno didn't listen and simply looked down at the ground. He did admit that it was nice outside but he would never move away from the city just because of some pretty flowers and buildings. The street they lived on had houses, similar as theirs, but smaller. The rich villagers lived there, but they had no where near the same amount of wealth as the foreign family.

They finally made it out from their street and he started to feel a bit chilly. The sky wasn't clear so there was no sun to warm him. He saw some elders women, wearing matching bristol taffeta suits, sitting on a bench chatting.

_"They probably don't have anything else to do in this village"_ Thought Natsuno as they passed them. He overheard them gossiping.

"Isn't that the family that moved in to the old mansion? My, they sure don't look like outsiders." Blabbed the youngest madam with a black fan. The women nodded their heads in agreement as the next one continued.

"What a handsome young man!" The woman pointed straight at the boy. "He will surely be a hearbreaker! Hahaha!" The elderly women laughed in sync. His parents turned around and waved to them, it seemed that they hadn't overheard them since they still looked unconcerned. The madams waved back and continued their conversation.

"What a nice young couple!"

"Absolutely lovely, but their boy hasn't got the Sotoba manners yet."

"Hopefully he will be a nice host at their party, or I might not show up!"

"Oh deary, you're such a liar! Who wouldn't miss the chance to be at a ball in a huge mansion?" Natsuno grit his teeth and ignored them. He didn't want to listen to their stupidity. People have no privacy in such a small village. As soon as a rumour spread everyone will know about it. He didn't care what they thought about him anyway, he was going to get out of this village eventually. Their laughter faded as they made it further into the village. They passed tons of townhouses. They all had an english feel to them.

They finally arrived at a big building made of limestone. There were windows covering almost the entire building and made it look like a typical english school. It was odd though, since the school mainly taught japanese, japanese history and japanese religion. He could see some children in their uniforms running around and some teenagers that looked the same age as he. It looks like the elementary school and the senior high school were in the same building.

''I'm not even surprised'' Thought Natsuno while he rolled his eyes.

"Behave now Natsuno."Azusa ruffled Natsuno's violet hair and patted his shoulder.

Natsuno went through the large door and stopped inside the large building. He had no idea where he was going. He sighed and ventured further into the building. As he walked along the corridors he constantly felt eyes staring down his back. It wasn't the most welcome feeling.

After a while of pacing he noticed that he'd been walking in circles. He sighed in frustration as went outside again.

_"I have time left before the lecture start. I shouldn't stress like this.." _Thought Natsuno while sitting down on the nearest bench. He brought up his schoolbag and opened the book his mother had bought for him in London. The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He looked up between the pages and tried to examine the people. Many were around the age 8 to 14 but he could see some teenagers like him chatting next to the school fence. There weren't many of them so he guessed that they would be in the same class as him. They all looked the same to him. It wasn't the uniforms that made him think so but the way they acted.

They were just like the old ladies that he had seen on his way to school, the teenagers were bragging and gossiping about small things that shouldn't even be important. They girls looked like dolls with their perfect hair and perfect posture while the boys acted like gentlemen. They weren't playing around like the children around them, well that's only natural when your at the start of your adulthood. There was only one girl who stood out from the crowd, the one who had been staring at him the whole time.

The pink haired girl stood in the middle of the 'girls circle' and was ignoring her friends who tried chatting with her. He had noticed her first of all the other teenagers because she had a high amount of make up on but he hadn't noticed that she'd been gaping in his direction. It was creeping him out.

The group began to move and Natsuno adverted his attention to his book. He kept his glance down as the class passed him, making him as invisible as possible. They were either too intrigued in their conversation to notice him or to scared to speak to him. He went back to his book and began reading.

A few minutes later he realised that the class had got inside because the lecture had started. Natsuno gave himself a mental smack and took up his pocket-watch. He swore as he was late and put the book down in his bag. He ran through the entrance and began walking up the stair that seemed a mile long from where he was standing. Natsuno turned around as he heard the entrance door opening. He saw a blonde teen running up the stairs. His tie and shoelaces were untied and there were pens dropping from the bag he was barely holding. The blonde tripped on his shoelaces and landed face first on a step. Normally, you should help people up if they make a fool of themselves but right now Natsuno didn't care if so the Queen of England herself fell in these disgustingly long stairs. His father would kill him if he was late.

"Bloody hell not again!" Cursed the boy downstairs.

He stopped and saw that the blonde had gotten up and was gathering his belongings. Natsuno regretted his decision as the blonde became aware of his presence and waved to him. Natsuno quickly turned around, feeling guilty, and walked up the last step. Natsuno suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and gasped as he was spun around.

"Heya! You're the new kid right?" The boy's honey-brown eyes lit up as the corners of his mouth tilted up in a broad smile. Natsuno was stunned.

"I'm late for class" He stuttered the words out while looking anywhere in the room but in his eyes.

"Don't bother going to it then. If you're late they will either lock you out of the classroom or make you wear the dunce's cap." Said the boy as he took his hand off Natsuno's shoulder. Natsuno didn't blink and kept watching him in shock as he lazy tied his loose tie. He was so carless and so imperfect. Maybe this day would be interesting after all. The boy snapped out of his thought as the blond stretched his hand out to him.

"I'm Tohru Motou. You must be Natsuno, right?"

"Don't call me Natsuno" Said violet haired teen with his usual irritated voice.

"Huh? Why not?" Said Tohru as he scratched his fuzzy hair.

"I don't like it. Just call me Koide or Yuuki."

There was an awkward silence but the blonde kept his broad smile up. _"If you would stop looking at me, that would be great.." _Thought Natsuno as he tapped his foot repeatedly.

"Hey, I have an idea"

"Yeah?" Natsuno gave him a bored look.

"If I tell Hirosawa-sensei that I showed you around the school we could actually get away with being late"

Natsuno looked at his watch once again. "Whatever, let's go"

"I will show you your classroom, the gym, the library and the school temple!"

"…" Natsuno started to walk down the second staircase." These people even have a temple at their school? They will surely try to brainwash me." Thought the stubborn boy. He felt a arm slide over his shoulders and froze.

"The classroom is on the third floor. But your class wont start until one hour or so.'' Said Tohru and pointed at the stairs while holding his other arm over Natsuno's shoulder. Natsuno calmly removed Tohru's arm with the tip of his fingers and remained silent. Tohru ran through the corridor and waved to the awkward teen so that he would hurry up. They started the tour inside the school.

* * *

"This is the library!" Tohru announced excitedly. He had already showed Natsuno the rest of the school so now was the time for the best part. Natsuno breathed out heavily as they went to yet another room.

The library was bright and clean. There were more bookcases than the amount of books. The room was almost like a labyrinth with all the half empty shelves. A _massive_ labyrinth.

Tohru took a step in front of Natsuno and put his hands up in the air "It's huge isn't it?!"

The younger boy nodded and continued to observe the room.

"You know, one time I even got lost here. I wandered off too far into the library and I couldn't find my way back. Now I know tons of hiding spots!"

_"Well, at least I have a place where I will be left alone."_ Thought the violet haired boy and rolled his eyes to the silly blonde who just wouldn't shut up. Tohru smiled at him and the awkward silence was back once again.

"Shouldn't you be in class? It ten o' clock." Said a man behind the counter. Both boys jumped as he spoke, since they weren't aware of his presence.

"You're Yuuki-kun right? I'm the librarian Yuzuki" The eldery man was wearing a colorful vest, a white dress shirt and a black silk puff tie. The man had a friendly smile on his face.

"If there is anything you need feel free to ask me"

"Thank you sir." Natsuno gave him a polite bow.

"I hope I will see you here soon again, there are many interesting books that you can borrow."

The boys walked out the gigantic library.

"Wow! I can't believe it's been one hour already. Time does really fly by." Tohru exclaimed.

"Thanks for the tour." Natsuno surprised Tohru when he spoke.

The blonde rubbed the back or his head.

"My pleasure!"

Natsuno turned around and headed to the classroom he had been instructed to go to.

"Hey Natsuno! Why don't we eat lunch together later?" Tohru shouted from across the room

Natsuno pinched his nose and looked back at him.

"Don't call me Natsuno."

"I take that as a yes!"

Natuno shook his head as the blond skipped to his own classroom. They were about the same age, so Natsuno wondered why he wasn't going to the same class. He wanted to ask him but he took out his pocketwatch instead, and saw that he was running late again. He clasped the watch and ran to his classroom passing some students. He arrived just in time as the teacher was closing the door.

''Welcome Yuuki-kun! Im Hirosawa'' Natsuno looked at the middle-aged man in the gray costume. He had a blank stare and gave a slight nod towards the blackboard. Natsuno bowed to the teacher in a respectful matter and went up to the chalkboard. He wrote his name and kanji and turned around to the class. They looked at him as if he was from another planet. Natsuno was prepared for that though.

"I'm Yuuki Natsuno. Thanks for having me"' He could feel all the eyes on him. He held his gaze on the wall in the back so he couldn't make whole class began to whisper.

"Any questions for our _new_ student?" Asked the teacher. There was a silence in the room and a few pupils shook their heads.

"Well then, you can take a seat by the window" Said Hirosawa. Natsuno took his bag and walked over to his desk. Heads turned as he walked all the way to the back of the room.

"Open page 228 in your math book. We will start with repeating last weeks algebra assignments."

The teacher started the lesson and the boy slowly dozed off. He decided that he didn't need to pay attention when they went through what he had already learned last year. He looked out the window and saw a lake in the far distance. Behind the lake there was a forest, and he could see a rooftop sticking out. It was probably a watch tower. He'd seen several of them on the carriage ride. His trail of thoughts were interrupted as he felt someone looking intensely at him. He turned his head slightly to the right.

Pink eyes pierced him with their gaze.

He turned his head back abruptly almost showing his panic. It was that girl from before, she was sitting on the other side of the room but her stare still felt so intense. He didn't want to turn around again and kept sitting stiffly.

He shrugged the feeling off as he saw students gathering their things and leaving

_'Is it over already?'_ He thought as he mimicked their actions and went out the classroom. The hallways was crowded with teenagers from different classes. Natsuno didn't have any trouble getting through the crowd though, they all seemed to back off as soon as he moved in their direction. Unfortunately, since he had no idea where the cafeteria was, he had to wait for everyone.

"He is cute." Said a green-haired girl out loud to her friend.

"He is _very_ cute!" The short dark haired girl concurred.

Normally you would get heart warming feeling if someone said that to you, well If you actually gave a damn.

"He looks like a wierdo." Said a athletic boy who put his book in a locker. "He should join the Masao-group, right Masao.? He clapped the back of a really lanky guy so that he almost lost his balance.

"Stop that." Said Masao as he regained his footing.

_"They are all so stereotypical. It's ridiculous."_ Thought Natsuno as put his palm on his forehead. He was a frustrated how they could just blurt things out but he kept his calm.

"I wonder what he does in his free time." The conversation kept going.

"He is probably a bookworm" Said another male voice

"He is smart then! Not like you Tamotsu!"

"Hey! That was uncalled for!" They all laughed and walked off into a room that Natsuno assumed was the the cafeteria.

"They are all the same." Said Natsuno as he began to rummage through his bag. He brought up his lunch box and got startled when he saw that a girl had appeared in front of him.

"Hi!" Said the pink haired girl and jumped at the spot. She wore a similar jacket as him, a black skirt and golden leggings. The shoes were different from the other girls. It was a pair of black satin shoes. They had chunky heels and black ribbon ankle straps. She smiled at him.

"I'm Megumi Shimizu. Nice to meet you!"

Natsuno said nothing. He could see that it was making her nervous as she turned around to her friend who waved to her. "Keep going, It's going great!"

Natsuno started walking towards the cafeteria door.

"Wait up!" Megumi stopped him. "Yuuki-kun would you like lunch with me? I would really like to get to know you." Natsuno didn't give her a single glance and kept walking.

"We can talk about the city! I've always wanted to move there. It's so boring here." She said and tried starting a conversation with him. Megumi had a hard time to trying to keep up with Natsuno.

_'Just leave me alone'_ Thought the boy as he started moving faster. She finally stopped following him when her friend called for her.

"Megumi, let's go eat lunch!"

"Fine." She said and stomped away.

Natsuno sighed in relief and proceeded to enter the cafeteria. It was almost the opposite of the library; It was very dark and the floor was made of dark quartize. There were small black table made of iron and some black chairs made of the same material. He didn't want to take up on Tohru offer, but he wouldn't be able to avoid him since they all had lunch in the same room. The boy walked to the end of the room where nobody was seated and sat down next to a open window. He opened his lunch box. It was onigiris, grilled fish, tsukemono and some cherries.

"Itadakimasu." He mumbled and ate some grilled fish with his chopsticks. Natsuno looked up when someone familiar sat down in front of him.

"Don't look so shocked. I told you we were having lunch together" Said the blonde and brought up his own lunchbox.

"I'm fine by myself."

"Well I'm not, so you have to keep me company!" Said Tohru and laughed.

"Whatever." said Natsuno and looked out the window and thought. _'__Why do these villagers have to be so clingy?' _

Tohru then started talking about his day. Natsuno tried to listen but then dozed off again.

_'If I can hold out for a few years, I could flee and start a new life where I belong. No, I wont need to wait that long. I just have to find the right opportunity for my escape, run and never look back. I should start my preparation as soon as possible-'_

Tohru interrupted his trail of thoughts when he started swinging a cherry by its stem in front of him.

He seemed to have lost interest in his own lunch and started poke around Natsunos bento. Tohru lifted the cherry up high as he could and then slowly placed it on his tongue. Natsuno gave a skeptical look as he met Tohrus eyes.

"What? This is how fancy people eat cherries!" He explained and pretended that he had a beard "I don't always eat cherries, but when I do, I eat them like a sir" Said Tohru with a exaggerative british accent.

_'Dont smile, don't smile, don't smile' _Thought Natsuno while looking down at his food as the blonde began to laugh at his own joke. His smile was like the cheshire cat and so contagious, Natsuno almost couldn't help but to smile too. Natsuno pushed his bento across the table.

"You should try it Natsuno!" Said Tohru as he took another cherry from the wooden bento box.

"No, I'm good. And don't call me-" Natsuno got interrupted.

"Hey you know what we should do? We should totally go to the town square. I'll show all the shops and restaurants we have."

"I don't really enjoy those sort of things."

"Naw, come on! I'll be a good guide, I promise." He stared at him with his puppy eyes.

"I don't think I can." Natsuno

"Oh that's fine! We can always go on Saturday." Said Tohru and stood up as he gathered his belongings.

"Wait I don't-" Natsuno gave an irritated sigh as the blond interrupted him once again.

"My class is starting. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"What-"

"Bye Natsuno!" Tohru waved as he ran to the exit.

"Ugh!" Natsuno put his head in his palm as he growled.

* * *

The hour felt like days in the gray classroom. Natsuno had been paying next to no attention and simply stared out the window. Everything was jus so.. dull. He would probably die from boredom before the day ended. The girl constantly staring at him didn't make him feel any better either. What was her problem anyway?

As the teacher dismissed the class Natsuno almost jumped out of his chair. He grabbed his bag and shoved his way through the crowd. He just wanted to get home without another villager making remarks about him.

The boy took a big breath as he left the school and began walking the way his parents had showed him. His house was really far away from the school. He almost had to walk for half an hour to get home. He heard footsteps behind him as he walked on the dirt road. Someone had been following him for a while. Natsuno turned around and startled the pink haired girl. Megumi waved at him and ran a bit closer.

_'Not this again'_ Though Natsuno as he continued walking in a accelerating pace.

She walked next to him and said "You take this way home too?"

"..."

"I..um.. I've head a rumour that you're having a house-warming party. Is that true? I'd love to come!"

''...''

"I would love to see your house. It must be so beautiful with all those modern furnitures."

"..."

"Why are you ignor-"

"Hey Natsuno! The violet haired boy turned around as the blonde ran towards them. The girls smile instantly turned into a frown.

"Mutou, your house is the other way." Her voice sounded very aggravated.

"Yupp, but I decided to take a detour so I can escort my good buddy Natsuno." He smiled as put his arm around Natsuno's shoulder.

She spun her heel and stomped away to the opposite direction. Natsuno pushed the arm off his shoulder and turned back to his original path.

"What have I told you about using my first name?" The blonde had managed to get him provoked once again.

"That you don't like your name, and that you don't want to be called by it?" He had a sly smile on his lips.

"If you know that why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because _I_ like your name."

Natsuno let out an angry snarl expressing his extreme annoyance as he stormed off. Tohru began to chuckle uncontrollably.

"You owe me one!" Shouted Tohru in the distance. "I totally saved you from 20 minutes of walking with miss chatterbox."

"I don't need your help." Natsuno increased his speed until he couldn't see the blond. _"Cant they all just leave me alone?"_

After ten minutes of walking he finally saw his house. All he wanted to do now was sleep and forget these annoying people. His parents had to be retarded to think that moving 9601 km to this village just so that the villagers would treat him the exact same way as everyone did in the city. He felt like an object that didn't belong anywhere and was just an inconvenience. There is just a matter of time before Natsuno will get bored and do something delinquent like the other times he transferred. This village will be no exception.

Natsuno left his school bag, sat down by his desk and stared at an open blank notebook.

Natsuno had begun writing his journal when he was sent to his first boarding school in Japan. It wasn't a daily diary, it was just something he wrote down his thoughts in when he had the desire. It was the only treatment he had agreed on with his psychologist. Forced to do actually, since nothing else seemed to work. But it was fine for Natsuno, as long as he didn't have to share his feelings with someone else. Natsuno shut the book and yawned.

"I'll write in that damned thing tomorrow.."

The wind was making the tree shake and the leaves were flying into his bedroom. Natsuno got up and closed the window.

"What the-?" He mumbled as he saw that Megumi stood in front of the gate. Her eyes were fixated right at him. Natsuno closed the blinds.

_'Why is she here?'_ He thought while undressing and sat down on his bed.

It was only five in the afternoon but yet he felt so exhausted. He rested his head on the pillow.

''Only for a few minutes..'' He yawned and closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N

Hi!

I re-wrote this fic since I wasn't really happy with it's length and the way I wrote it. I think I posted that fic three months ago, and I was always to lazy to rewrite it. But now I did it! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This chapter is like a prologue. I tried to give you a somewhat open view of my version of Sotoba, and how this fic is gonna play out. A bit japanese and a bit victorian. You have no idea how much time i spent researching.

Oh and Tohru is now the original most interesting guy in the world. I promise I will not use any more memes...

I hope that you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

Happyland,

_Amanda __Jenssen_

The night lingers on, we'll be safe until dawn

In the happyland

Close the door and leave your key

You think you've got me, but you'll you see

When you're starting to lose me

I'm already gone

In the happyland

They will hunt you

And desert you

That's what they do

Run.

* * *

_Friday__, __April__ 26__th__ 1889_

Natsuno woke up with a stabbing pain in his neck, as he had been sleeping in the yearner position all night. His right shoulder felt a bit strange, too, once he had sat up. Stretching his back helped, but the pain was going to last for a while. He grunted and rolled down on the floor again. That had become a bad habit of his, but it was a good way to wake up. The uniform was hanging neatly on the knob of his wardrobe. He stood up reluctantly and snatched the fancy costume. He went past his desk and looked at the open journal. He had told himself to write in it for the past few days, but he never seemed to be in the mood. He sat down reluctantly and began writing the date at the top of the page.

_I've finally decided to write in this god forsaken book. It's the first time I write in here since London. I have no idea how this will cure me, but I guess it's worth a try?_

_One week here and I am still convinced that I hate this village; it's almost unbearable. Everyone is such a neophobiac and think everything I do is strange, when in reality it's them and their disturbing rules that are the strange ones. I mean, who the hell imprisons their residents behind big fences and doesn't let them go to the outside world? The only occasion for them to visit the rest of England is when they are accepted by the Kirishikis to go on a pilgrimage._

_That's what I heard from Hirosawa-sensei, I didn't pay attention to the rest of what he said since it was probably stupid anyway. His lessons are so boring that I'd rather hear Megumi rant about her shoes than listen to the morning Bible study session. It is ridiculous how many verses we have to learn before the final exam._

_Yesterday I couldn't help but to find a verse from Leviticus hilarious. "If anyone curses his father or mother he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself." As one of my brainless classmates read it I couldn't help but to snort out loud and the teacher even sent me out of the class for doing so. Now I have even more homework to do. Geez._

_The only thing keeping me in school, other than being hit by the psychopathic quim if I don't go, is Tohru. He is like all the villagers, but at the same time he's not. I can't find a word to describe it. Sure, he is annoying, because he can be clingy, but at least he doesn't expect something of me-unlike my newfound stalker Megumi. She thinks that by showing her adoration I will come to like her back someday. That's unrealistic and stupid. Love does not come from an obsession grounded on looks. To fall in love that someone has to be bound with the person they are in 'love' with. You don't fall in love with someone you're neighbours with or someone that you hardly talk to. Why are all people like that?_

_If you know that the person has no interest in you whatsoever you should just give up._

_Anyway, today is the day of the ball or the house-warming party, whatever you want to call it. Father and mother keep persisting that I come so that they can show me off to everyone. They are such parasites. Hell, at the end of the day I will probably manage to screw things up for them like I usually do. It's not my fucking problem. If they think that arranging a party will make them popular they're wrong, the elders will probably gossip even more._

_I-_

"Crap!" Natsuno noticed that it was past eight, immediately dropped his quill and bolted out of his room. He was going to be late, like always.

Just as he made it out he collided with something and fell backwards with a thud.

"I'm so sorry Yuuki-kun!" said a high-pitched voice.

Natsuno moaned in pain and sat up.

"Let me help you up!"

His vision was blurry because he had hit his head, but he could see a female silhouette in the hazy mess.

"I'm fine." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Watch where you go next time." He regained his consciousness.

The girl was dressed in a long black dress with a v-shaped belt and a white apron. Her dark hair was pinned in a bun covered by a white lace headpiece. She was the maid that the family had hired, since they needed someone to help maintain the big house. She was really clumsy and made more of a mess than she cleaned.

"I'm sorry,'' the girl said, and bowed. She quickly picked up Natsuno's schoolbag and gave it to him. Her eyes widened as she saw a wooden box next to Natsuno's feet and picked it up, too.

"I...I was asked to bring your lunch to you." She presented the bento box to Natsuno. The box had gotten cracks from the fall and there was soya leaking from it.

"It's mushy and disgusting now," Natsuno said as he held his blank expression. He could see the sweat drip down her forehead. If he was the one deciding she would have been fired long ago. _She __doesn__'__t __do __squat __around __here__. __Since __father __is __such __a __pig__, __he __ignores __it __and __enjoys __the __young __eye__-__candy__._

"Yes, of course! Sorry...I can make a new one if you'd like." Her hands shook and her face was sweaty as she bowed again.

"It's fine," replied Natsuno, and he rolled his eyes. "I probably wouldn't eat it anyway."

She gasped and almost dropped the bento again. Her eyes became red from the tears welling up.

"Clean this mess up." Natsuno turned around continued walking down the hall.

"Good luck in school!" she said while trying to hold back the hiccups.

"Remember to have my suit cleaned when I come back." She was furniture, so she should be treated like it.

"Yes...sir..." Her sob grew louder as Natsuno made it down to the living room.

His mother and father were moving things out of the room so that there would be room for people to dance. There was still much to do; candles had to be lit, finger food had to be prepared and the instruments had to be stringed.

Natsuno didn't bother talking to his parents and simply went to the big kitchen. There was no one in the room since it was too early to prepare lunch. Otherwise the maid and a few chefs would be by the big stove and cooking delicious food for the family.

There were some leftovers from yesterday's dinner and some pastries that were fresh out of the oven. Natsuno took an anpan from a bowl. He could taste that it was freshly baked, but it was a bit odd. It was cherry paste inside. He wasn't that fond of cherries but they reminded him of the cherry tree they had in their old garden. He took another bite for taste of home, so to speak. He wrapped the anpan in a cloth, put it in his bag and headed for the front door. His parents had begun moving the dinner table to the far end of the hall where everyone would be seated when they didn't dance.

Natsuno hated to dance. To him, the most embarrassing thing to do was being in a circle surrounded by other people.

There was just so much to keep track of, like keeping the right pace but still managing to get some advanced moves right to woo the lady, avoiding dancing into other people and being careful so that the girl's dress didn't get tangled and rip. If he managed to stay away from his parents or any young ladies that wanted to dance he would be alright, but that would be next to impossible. Natsuno sighed and went out the front door.

He regretted instantly that he left his umbrella upstairs. The rain was pouring and he was getting drenched in a matter of seconds. He ran through the garden and opened the rusty gate.

Natsuno jumped when a familiar pink haired girl appeared. She stood under a big black lace umbrella that kept her dry.

"Good morning Yuuki-kun!" Megumi said excitedly. "I thought we could walk to school together today." She had her usual outfit on, long pleated black skirt and a black jacket embroidered with the name Kirishiki, except that she wore different shoes. They were a pair of magenta, closed-toed shoes with a low heel and a lavender pink buckled strap across the instep of the shoe. Natsuno gave her a lazy bow and walked past her into the rain. He was used with her constant tag along.

"Since we couldn't have lunch together yesterday, I made extra food so we could share today!" continued the girl as she started to casually skip next to Natsuno and covered him with her umbrella. She poked his arm and pouted.

"Excuse me." Natuno reluctantly presented his arm and she gladly put her arms around it.

He remembered one of the codes of a gentleman.

If you met a lady of your acquaintance in the street, it was her part to notice you first. If she chose to acknowledge you, you as a gentleman could not ignore her.

Natsuno sighed as they walked together and got glances from other people on the street.

He ignored Megumi as she joyfully promenaded next to him. It was a 20-minute walk to school so he had to put up with her until then, but at least he wouldn't get wet.

He stopped listening to her and watched the scenery instead. It was cloudy today, as usual, and there were puddles of water forming. It had rained every day since he had gotten here. It didn't feel like spring at all.

"-I mean, everyone in the neighbourhood got invited! Even the middle class families like Murasako Yasumori, Takana and Maeda," Megumi babbled.

"Megumi! Wait up!" They heard a female voice behind them.

"Speak of the devil...," mumbled the pink haired girl and turned around. A brown haired girl with pigtails ran towards them under a white umbrella with yellow polka dots. The bottom of her long skirt was wet and a bit muddy.

"Good morning Megumi-chan. Why didn't you wait for me at our usual spot?" Kaori asked as she finally caught up with them.

She was wearing a middle-school uniform. Natsuno remembered her from before, since she often hung around Megumi. Kaori was the one who insisted that Megumi kept trying to get his attention.

The girls began to argue and Natsuno tapped impatiently with his foot. He decided that this was his chance to ditch Megumi. He put his schoolbag over his head and ran towards the nearest alley. They didn't seem to notice him until it was too late.

"Haven't I told you that I don't want to be with you anymore? And can't you see I'm walking with Yuuki-kun?!" Megumi hissed.

"You should have told me! I waited half an hour for you," the brown-haired girl said and looked over Megumi's shoulder

"I can't see Natsuno though. Are you alright Megumi?" Kaori gave her friend a concerned look.

"What?!" Megumi shrieked and turned around to find that Natsuno was gone.

"See, you scared him away!" Megumi had a very aggravated tone when she spoke to her friend.

"Sorry...I didn't know he was _that_ important," Kaori apologised, but Megumi kept glaring at her. The pink-haired girl stomped away in anger to catch up with Natsuno.

Natsuno stopped jogging when he realised that he was going the wrong way. He cursed under his breath and rubbed his neck, which had started to ache even more. His schoolbag was already soaking wet and didn't protect him from the rain anymore. Natsuno looked around for any landmarks that he recognised but was surrounded by townhouses that he'd never seen. He was totally lost.

"Now I'm late, too." He looked at his pocket watch. He had been late for school the whole week, so this day would probably be no different. Natsuno sighed once again as he began to walk back when he saw a familiar name on a black steel mailbox. _Mutou__._

The house was a townhouse and it looked like it hadn't been painted in ages. It sure didn't feel like the home of a clinic manager and his family. He hesitated when he went up the door steps.

"_Maybe __I __should __have __walked __with __Shimizu__...," _thought Natsuno as he knocked on the maroon door. Hopefully Tohru was late again, too, or he would have had to embarrass himself in front of his parents. He hadn't met them yet, so he surely didn't want to meet them like _this_. He looked up when the door opened and the blond came out.

"Natsuno?" Tohru wore a pair of short cotton pants and a towel around his shoulders that hardly covered his bare chest. Natsuno instantly yelled at him.

"Put some clothes on! What if there was a woman here?!" He spun around to hide his bright pink cheeks.

"I thought it was the mailman..." Tohru yawned and scratched his head.

"Idiot!" He covered his eyes with his hand and turned back to the blond, who leaned on the doorsill.

"What are you even doing here so early? You look terrible, by the way." Tohru lifted Natsuno's wet bangs, which dripped water when they splashed back onto his face.

"It's almost ten in the morning, Tohru-chan," Natsuno said and gave him a dull look through the cracks of his fingers. "We have school at nine o' clock."

Tohru nodded lazily and then his eyes widened as he processed what Natsuno just said.

"Crap!"

"Yeah, my words exactly," Natsuno said and rubbed his aching neck with his free hand.

"We need to hurry then! Come in while I get dressed," the blond insisted. "Dry yourself off with this towel." He put the towel that was around his shoulders on Natsuno's head and led him inside the house.

Natsuno peeked from the towel and looked around. The house was not as small as it had looked from the outside. The hall had flowery wallpaper and a marble floor, and there was a staircase leading up to the second floor.

"Hurry. If I miss the second class I'm going to be in trouble again." Natsuno stood awkwardly in the hallway and watched Tohru walk up the stairs. Tohru turned around and stuck his tongue out.

"Put on some clothes, for God's sake!" Natsuno growled as he covered his eyes with the towel again.

Tohru laughed and ran up the stairs. He didn't mind Natsuno taking the Lord's name in vain. The other villagers would probably accuse Natsuno of blasphemy if they had heard that. Natsuno felt good to be able to swear in front of someone.

"I'll be back soon! Try to think of a good excuse for being late," Tohru called from upstairs.

He looked around the house and ruffled his hair in the towel. It was nothing like his house. The furniture was not that fancy, but there was a cozy fireplace in the dining hall. He could see that there were many people living in this house, since there were dirty dishes and clothes lying everywhere. It wasn't pleasing but Natsuno would actually prefer to live in this sort of house instead of his dark mansion. Natsuno walked back to the hall and froze when he saw the pink-haired girl outside reading the mailbox. She hadn't noticed him yet. Natsuno dashed to the door and slammed it shut. Tohru rushed down the stairs, fully dressed in his school uniform, to see what the commotion was.

"What happened?!" he exclaimed.

The younger boy pointed at the door.

"Shimizu followed me here," Natsuno explained and sat down on the wooden stairs. "She's been stalking me since I first came here."

"First week at school and you already have an admirer. I'm jealous." Tohru laughed and put his shoes on by the door.

"It's not funny...," Natsuno muttered as put his hand to his temple.

"Well, let's walk with her to school. It can't be that bad," Tohru suggested.

"I don't like her." Natsuno hissed and stood up.

"C'mon, she is really fond of you so give her a chance," said Tohru and smiled like the cheshire cat. The grin danced on his lips because he knew he was right. "Besides, it's rude for a gentleman to ignore a lady."

"_Goddamn __gentleman__'__s __code__,"_ thought Natsuno and sighed. Why was it such a bother to be male?

Tohru opened the door and Natsuno hid behind it as soon he saw the girl. Megumi looked very displeased.

"Good morning, Megumi-chan! Running late for school?" Tohru gave her a polite bow and motioned with his hand that she could come in.

Megumi did not greet him with the same enthusiasm and remained outside.

"Is Yuuki-kun there?" Megumi said and crossed her arms. "I lost him when I was talking to stupid Kaori."

"He's he-" Tohru got interrupted when Natsuno pinched his arm. "Well, he should be in school."

"But I saw him walking into this area!" Megumi raised her eyebrow.

"That was probably Nao-san," Tohru explained and twitched as the stubborn teenager pinched him again. "I don't know where he is, bye!"

He slammed the door shut and stroked his arm where Natsuno had pinched him. "That hurt!"

"Are you implying that I look like a woman?!" Natsuno's face was red as a tomato when he came out of his hiding place.

"Oh, the Nao thing? I didn't mean it like that!" Tohru stuttered and backed away.

"You better not have..." said Natsuno and ruffled his hair a final time in the towel before throwing it back to Tohru. His hair had become flat.

"But come to think of it-" Tohru leered in Natsuno's direction. The younger teen pushed him away and crossed his arms. The blond began to chuckle.

"Anyway, thank you for not selling me out I guess...," mumbled Natsuno and looked out the window as Megumi walked away into the rain.

"No problem. You shouldn't avoid a lady though, she might get mad and you'll get into trouble with her dad."

"I don't care."

"You do realise a father has a license to kill if someone hurts their daughter?" Tohru warned in a sincere tone while still grinning widely. It almost was impossible to see if the blond was serious.

"You're joking, right?" Natsuno gave the blond a sceptical look but Tohru nodded in reply. "That's retarded."

"Pfft! If you think that's retarded you should read our rule book. You can get killed for simply having the wrong manners." Tohru laughed and walked through the living room and opened the backdoor to their garden.

"_What __the __hell __is __wrong __with __these __people__?" _Natsuno thought as he followed the older teen.

"We should take another way so we don't run into her again then," the blond said and smiled at Natsuno.

He nodded in reply and walked out to the garden.

* * *

They ran to school but they weren't in time for the second lesson once again. So the boys went to the library to kill some time. They played chess and Go and even though Tohru lost every time, he seemed to enjoy himself. Natsuno had been in his own mind the whole time, thinking about how he would handle the stress of being a host.

He had been trained in the etiquette of a victorian ball, but it was ridiculous how many rules there were. Since Natsuno was still considered a 'kid' by his parents, even though he was 17, he had even more etiquette to follow, like never interrupting a conversation or addressing a visitor until he has started the conversation, and always rise to a standing position when the visitors enter.

He would be made into ridicule if any of his classmates were to see him like that. Not only that, he also had to dance because it was a gentleman's 'job' to see that every lady had someone to dance with. When requesting a lady to dance, you have to stand at a proper distance, bend your body gracefully, accompanied by a motion in the right hand in front, look at her amicably, and respectfully say, "Will you do me the honor to dance with me?" or something of the sort. The man has to remain in the position until the lady replies. Natsuno thought it was degrading how he had to bow before someone like that. Tohru stopped the trail of thought as he waved his hands in front of his face.

"It's been your turn for five minutes." He watched him with a concerned look. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine." Natsuno broke eye contact and looked down at the chess board.

In the chess match had just begun, he was black and Tohru was white. Tohru had already made the first move with his pawn. Natsuno responded by also moving a pawn.

Tohru did a little dance with his fingers and took the knight's pawn two step forward. Natsuno raised his eyebrow and moved his queen parallel to the white king.

"Checkmate."

The match was over in two turns.

"What?!" The blond gaped and looked at the board. Natsuno was right; there was no way for him to move his king. He was stuck behind his pawn.

"You heard me." Natsuno crossed his arms and smirked.

"How did you do that?" Tohru exclaimed in wonder.

"You were inattentive and didn't think about your opponent's move." Natsuno yawned. It was getting really boring constantly winning, but he wasn't complaining.

"I want a rematch!" Tohru insisted as he put all the pieces to their rightful places. "I want to be black this time."

"Whatever." Natsuno rolled his eyes when the blond turned the board around.

"Were you invited to the ball?" He moved a pawn the to the same place as the last match.

"Yes." Tohru moved his black pawn so it was facing Natsuno's white pawn.

"Are you bringing anyone?"

Natsuno moved his knight to and tried reading Tohru as he mimicked his move again. The older teenager looked rather focused. He then smiled as he replied.

"Yeah, my father recommended a nurse he works with from the clinic. He told me she was very beautiful and bright. I can't wait to pick her up tonight." Tohru stared off into the distance. "It's really rare for a woman to have a career like that; she will surely have a lot of suitorsin the future.I can't believe that she chose to go with me to this ball!" he continued talking.

Natsuno wasn't surprised. If Tohru had the charisma to charm the whole school, there was no question whether he would get a date or not. Natsuno was almost a bit jealous of how the blond could get anyone to blush just by looking at him. Natsuno noticed that Tohru had been leaning over the table and poking him.

"Stop dozing off when I'm talking," the blond said and poked Natsuno's chin, getting him back to the real world. Tohru leaned back into his own chair again.

"How about you?" he asked.

"I haven't asked anyone yet..." Natsuno moved his free bishop. "...and I'm not going to."

Tohru looked up at him.

"Is that so? Well, I think you should do whatever you want. Don't let anyone force you to do something you don't want just because it's a rule." The statement caught Natsuno a bit of guard but he held his blank expression.

"But didn't you say Sotoba had weird laws that could get you killed for not having the proper manners?"

Tohru breathed out and looked at Natsuno.

"Live how you want to live." He moved his other knight. "That's my philosophy anyway."

"It's a good one." Natsuno moved his first knight forward again. Tohru really did have the same point of view as him. It was really nice to have someone who didn't criticise you and actually understands your feelings. A person you can trust with any secret.

"_It __feels __weird__."_

Natsuno looked up when Tohru made his next move. Tohru took Natsuno's pawn that was in front of his own with his left knight.

"Got you!"

"Don't get too excited," said Natsuno and moved his own knight and took Tohru's pawn. Natsuno was now in position to take the black queen. Tohru couldn't take the knight with his king because then Natsuno would take him with his bishop. He scratched his head and moved his queen as far away as he could.

Natsuno moved his knight again and took a rook inside the 'base'. Tohru took a quick look at Natsuno. He seemed being too busy staring at the wall behind Tohru again to notice that he just made a mistake. He didn't protect his king. Tohru moved his queen parallel to the white king and shouted.

"CHECK MATE!"

"Huh?" Natsuno took a single glance at the board and saw how Tohru won. He gave himself a mental slap for making such a dumb mistake. If he wasn't so distracted he would have won.

"You were inattentive and didn't think about your opponent's move," Tohru quoted and cracked up at Natsuno's displeased expression.

"I had other things on my mind than this stupid game."

"You're a sore loser." The corners of his mouth were turned up in one of his grins. The pride radiating off him was almost tangible.

"I'm tired of chess." Natsuno stood up and quickly packed the chess pieces in their original box.

"You're such a sore loser." Tohru smirked at the younger boy, who gave the box back to the librarian and bowed. He was really pissed.

"I'm not. I'm just bored, and you should go to class," the younger boy urged.

"Alright, alright, alright! Stop being grumpy." Tohru gave up and walked out of the room. "Bye."

Natsuno blew some air out his nose and picked his schoolbag up from the floor.

* * *

Natsuno climbed the flights of stairs and got up to the final floor of the school building. He looked around to see if anyone was around and then proceeded to go down the hallway. At the end of the hall there was a window that led out to the roof. The window was blocked by a black fence but Natsuno had already broken it some days ago. He climbed outside onto the small wet platform. This was the place he usually was when skipping class or just hiding from annoying teachers. It wasn't made to be stood on, only there for the two decorative gargoyles made from granite.

Gargoyles are made to frighten off evil spirits and protect those in the building. They represent the evil that is the outside world and are there to scare people into going to church and school, showing everyone that you can always go to church to feel safe. One gargoyle was without wings and the other had his wings wrapped around himself. They were very different from each other but both were smirking.

Natsuno took his jacket off and put it on the marble ground. It was very windy up here but he had a lighter that he took from his back-pocket to warm him. His feet dangled from the edge; there was no railing to hold him.

Natsuno took a cigarette from a case and put it in his mouth as he lit it. He inhaled the toxin and exhaled just a quickly. The town looked grey and boring from all the puddles and mud. There were hardly any people outside besides a lonely carriage. It disappeared quickly in an alley and finding it from this height was now like finding a needle in a haystack. The area was so large and there were so many houses since the school was located in the center of Sotoba.

Natsuno took another breath and sighed. Then he exhaled through his nose.

"So this is where you go when you skip class, huh?" Natsuno turned around abruptly to find the blond standing behind him. He remained quiet as the older teen sat down next to him. Tohru noticed the burning cigarette in his hand.

"Where did you get the coffin nail from?" His voice wasn't surprised. It seemed like nothing Natsuno did could get him off guard.

"I took them from father's drawer when he was sleeping." Natsuno took a breath from the roll.

"It smells disgusting. How can you smoke that?" Tohru waved his hand in front of his face as the smoke flew in his direction.

Natsuno didn't have an answer, since he didn't know why he smoked. He had begun smoking when he was in the boarding school, with no reason but to let loose, and then he had slowly become addicted. That was all that he remembered, anyway.

"May I have one?" the blond asked as he noticed that the young boy's ADD began to kick in, as usual.

Natsuno threw his schoolbag and Tohru caught it. He dug inside it and found the case. Tohru reached out for the lighter next to Natsuno. He lit the small roll of tobacco and inhaled the smoke but instantly began to cough the toxin out. Natsuno stubbed out his cigarette on the wing of the gargoyle.

"Here, you're doing it wrong." Natsuno took the fag out of Tohru's mouth and put it in his own.

"Inhale a small amount at a time and then exhale everything at once, it will go more smoothly then," he explained as he showed the blond how to properly smoke. He opened his mouth and a grey cloud floated away towards the equally grey sky. They both watched as it flew and dissolved in the air.

"Let me try," said Tohru and took the cigarette out of Natsuno's mouth. He started to inhale the nicotine with small breaths just like Natsuno had instructed.

"Now just breathe out like you usually do."

The blond blew out a big cloud of grey smoke.

"Not in my face!" Natsuno shut his eyes and coughed and the blond did the same as he began laughing uncontrollably. Natsuno spit over the rail from the disgusting taste. The blond calmed down between the coughs and laughs.

"Why are you here?" Natsuno said as he motioned with his hand to pass him the cigarettes.

"It's more fun hanging with you than being in class." Tohru smiled as he passed the death-stick to Natsuno. "Am I bothering you, Natsuno?"

"Yes." Natsuno blew out the smoke and looked over the town with his usual bored look. He then threw the remains down. Hopefully it hit Masao or some other stupid kid.

Tohru pouted his lips and crossed his arms.

"Stop being negative. We skipped class and we're smoking on school property. It's the most fun you've had all week!"

"Whatever." Natsuno waved him off as he continued watching the scenery. He looked up when Tohru was getting up, but he was simply making himself comfortable.

"_Even __with __when __I__'__m __rude __he __sticks __with __me__."_ Thought Natsuno as his friend still sat by him and watched the sun set behind the big grey clouds. Tohru broke the silence with a new conversation opener.

"I haven't heard you laugh yet." He dangled happily with his legs.

"I can't." There was something blocking that ability in his head.

Tohru looked at Natsuno as if he just told that him that he was a space monster.

"That's crazy!" Tohru stated a bit too loud. He shut himself up when he heard that the had he made an echo.

Natsuno shrugged his shoulders at the statement.

"I'll make you laugh so hard that you tummy aches." the blond said and turned to him. He was always up to a challenge.

"Try me." Natsuno turned to meet his smug smile. There was no way the blond would succeed.

"Okay." The smile danced on his lips. It was one of those smiles that told you, that they knew something you don't. The blond sat still and thought for a while before finally turning around, almost spooking Natsuno, to say.

"Let's see if you're ticklish!"

"That's just childish." He snorted arrogantly as his heart decelerated it's speed from the scare. "You're 18, act like it."

"Someone is afraid of the tickle monster!" Tohru leaned closer and made clawing motions with his index fingers.

"Shut up, I'm not! Besides, we might slip and die." He pushed Tohru off and the blond stuck his tongue out.

"Think on the bright side; If we did we might crush a little brat on the way down." That was such a weird optimistic statement that it made one side of Natsuno's mouth tilt up. Tohru noticed the smirk and did a victory fist pump in the air.

"See, I told you! You're enjoying hanging out with me." Tohru's eyes shined. He finally confirmed that Natsuno could have some emotions too.

"Yeah, yeah.. I guess it's just the town that brings me down." Natsuno admitted, looking down at his dangling feet. "I really want-. No, I need to get away."

Tohru put his hand on Natsuno's shoulder, turned his head so he faced him and looked at him with his shining brown eyes.

"As long as you're here in Sotoba, I will make sure you won't die of boredom, okay?"

Natsuno watched Tohru with a confused look but the calm smile made the worry melt. It was as if he had swallowed something that didn't belong in his body. It sent shivers down his whole body making him tense. He shook so much that the blond noticed.

"What is it, Natsuno?" It was worrying the blond, his friend had been more jumpy than his usual this day.

"Nothing.." His stomach felt weird. He wanted throw up but there just wouldn't come up anything.

"_Why does a__guy __like __him __prefer __being __with __me__? __I __know __I __don__'__t __have __a __likeable __personality__, __but __Tohru __likes __me __anyway__."_

The boys remained quiet after that and enjoyed the calm afternoon as long as it lasted. They sat on the rooftop with the gargoyles until all classes were dismissed.

* * *

The violet-haired boy opened the little bronze container and took out a pill from inside. Finally he would become calm again. Natsuno had been anxious ever since coming back to school. The medicine would hopefully kick in soon. He swallowed it and drank some water from a glass on the bed stand. The door flew open and a blue-haired woman walked in. She was already dressed up in her ball gown. It was a midnight blue cotton lace gown with a slight V-shaped bodice. She was wearing black dancing gloves and a black lace fan to cool herself off from the stress of being a hostess. Her short hair was curled in ringlets.

"Where have you been?!" Her voice was both worried and angry.

"At school," Natsuno answered dully as he stretched in bed.

"You were supposed to be home two hours ago!" She stomped as she pulled the teen up.

"I'm home now." The teen rolled his eyes as he sat up on the bedside.

The mother sighed in frustration; she really didn't want to start a argument now. She continued to speak with a calmer voice.

"The guest will arrive in an hour, so you better clean yourself up and get dressed." She pointed at his vanity mirror. "And comb your hair please."

"Yeah, yeah. Please go now, I will be ready soon." The teen sat down in front of the mirror. Natsuno looked at his reflection.

His hairstyle was weird. He had long hair on the back of his head that could almost touch his shoulders and he had shorter hair in the front, forming wild looking bangs.

Natsuno took up a comb from the drawer and began stroking his hair. The hair got tangled quickly so he gave up. He slicked his hair back and put the rest in a low ponytail. He tried putting hair-gel so that the bangs would lay flat but they kept sticking up everywhere on his head. The hair on his sides couldn't go back, either, because it was too long to lay still, but too short to be in the pony tail. He sighed as the hair fell back to his face. His hair was untamable. There were some hairpins scattered on the desk, so he put them on, too.

"This will have to do," the boy said as he stood up and walked over to his closet.

He already had clothes picked out for him. It was a pair of black cotton trousers, a white high-collared shirt, a black ascot, a black vest with metal buttons and a black tailcoat. The attire in which a gentleman could present himself in a ballroom was strictly defined. The outfit was made out of very expensive material, so he was careful when he put it on.

Natsuno went out into the hall and looked at himself in the big mirror. He looked really elegant except for the hair. But hey, no one was perfect.

A older and better combed version of himself appeared behind him in the mirror. The teen turned to his father, who had the same outfit and wore it proudly. Yuuki clapped his son's shoulder and followed him down the stairs. Everything was ready for the ball. All the tables and chairs were in the right place and a stage had been set up for the orchestra; the floor was polished so well that you could see your own reflection in it. The only thing missing was the guests, but they would probably arrive soon.

"You will get to greet everyone while your mother and I start making them comfortable with some chit-chat," his father said when they got to the door. "Make sure they get their dance card and that they know the location of the coatroom."

Natsuno couldn't talk back. He just didn't have energy for arguing anymore. He had to put up with the ball even though his parents knew that he couldn't handle this kind of social stress.

"Here is your dance card." His father gave him the paper and a pen. "Hopefully you get to enjoy yourself."

The dance card was a timetable so that everyone knew when the dancing would start and what music would be playing. It was also so that they could write the names of whom they would dance with. It was improper to not dance with the person who you had been asked to dance with, unless it was an emergency, of course.

Natsuno crumbled it up and put it in his pocket.

The people flowed in as quick as a streaming river. Natsuno had his left arm on his right shoulder as he stood in the bowing position. There were so many people coming through the door that he didn't need to lean up and down. Some people greeted him, mostly in a mocking way, but the majority ignored him. He felt like a furnishing. Especially since the actual furniture, the maid, stood beside him and greeted the guests, too.

"Good evening, Natsuno." Only a few people call him by that name. Natsuno looked up as he heard his first name and met the familiar face. Tohru held a woman by the hand.

"Let me introduce you to my date, Ritsuko Kunihiro."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuuki-kun," the well-mannered lady said. The younger teen assumed that she was the nurse he had been talking about. Her green and wavy hair was the longest hair Natsuno had ever seen. Suddenly his own hair didn't seem so bad.

Ritsuko's dress had a lovely sakura print. The bodice had a graceful neckline, and short puffed sleeves gathered into lace-edged cuffs. The bottom edge of the bodice stretched into a "V". She wore an adorable three-panelled overskirt to accompany the dress and a matching train. She was very pretty but the one everyone in line was staring at was the man by whom she was being escorted. Tohru wore a white vest beneath a black dress-coat. He wore a black set of dancing gloves and a matching necktie. A simple yet classic outfit. His hair looked as if it had only been lazily combed, but it still kept the proper form. He managed to look even more attractive than before without making an effort. Who would have thought that he could get even more gorgeous?

"_Wait__, __did __I __actually __just __think __that__?" _Natsuno shook his head. He couldn't look at the older teen as the couple got closer.

"Your hair is in a ponytail, that's unusual!" Tohru noticed and chuckled. "It looks cute."

"W-what?" Natsuno stuttered and the green-haired lady giggled at the blushing doorman.

"_Did __he __seriously __say __that__? __It__'__s __like __he __read __my __mind __and __is __now __mocking __me__."_ Natsuno studied the man as he gave him a card. There was some oddness to the small curve on his lips; they looked as if there were something terribly funny that only he knew about. Natsuno shook his head; he was probably just being paranoid.

"Just pretend you don't know me until this greeting thing is over," Natsuno grunted and gave him the same bow he had been giving all the guests.

"As you wish. I'll see you around." Tohru and his date both gave Natsuno a polite bow before continuing inside.

The guest kept whelming in. He lost count after an hour of standing. He had to admit, it was quite the sight to see so many beautiful get-ups in one room. The living room had become crowded with people and the tables were full with different kinds of finger food. There were edamame beans, yakitori, tempura shrimps, sushi and cherries. The view made Natsuno's belly rumble. There was really not much to do but to listen to the music. It felt like an eternity standing there. He just wanted to go up to his room, or at least say hi to Tohru.

"You can go, Yuuki-kun."

Natsuno turned around to the girl standing to his left. The maid smiled and spoke again.

"You've been standing here long enough, you should go and enjoy yourself. I'll take care of this." She probably noticed that he had been staring at the dance floor for a long while. He nodded in reply and disappeared in the crowd.

He headed for the food table first since he had been starving ever since lunch. He immediately took a tuna nigiri and ate it in one bite. As he took some more food in his hand he sat down in the nearest chesterfield chair.

The orchestra was playing a waltz of Johann Strauss and all the pairs were strutting around joyfully. He searched the dance floor for people that he knew.

His parents were both dancing with different people. Engaged or married couples would not dance with each other at all, since it was considered a violation of etiquette. At least they were enjoying themselves.

He could see Tohru and Ritsuko dance on the other side of the dance floor. Tohru looked happy.

They took bold steps around the dance floor and made lots of turns, she smiling as he led her safely. He showed his confidence with some fast turns, making her take hold of his shoulder with her left hand.

They let go of their right hands, but Tohru still held her steady by her hip. They spun slowly, shoulder to shoulder, looking each other deeply in the eyes.

Natsuno couldn't help but to bite his lip.

Then they both lifted their left hand to touch the other above their head. Tohru really knew how to dance the waltz.

His beautiful eyes and the strong grip would make anyone want to faint, but Ritsuko kept her mature expression. They kept pacing around the floor as they did before but with their hands up. Natsuno stared at his target and accidentally made eye-contact with him. Tohru could see the teen but the dancers were blocking his view. Tohru looked back to his partner. The music slowed down, they let go of their left hands, and they went back to their promenade position.

Tohru tried looking at the spot he'd seen Natsuno but there was no one there anymore.

* * *

"_What __am __I __doing __here__?" _Natsuno thought as he sighed. He stood by his parents and greeted the guests once again.

He had mostly stood behind them and been quiet, as no one had actually spoken to him.

"Good evening. What a wonderful party you have arranged. I'm having a lovely time!" The girl gave a polite bow to the pair before she began to speak.

"My, what a nice girl! What might your name be?" Azusa said and also greeted her with a bow.

"My name is Megumi Shimizu, madam." She ran her hand through her long curly pink hair. It was half tied at the back in a puffy way to create volume, with side swept bangs in the front.

Natsuno looked in their direction. Megumi was talking to his parents; this could only mean bad news.

"That's a beautiful name and it fits so well for such a pretty girl as yourself," the father said.

"Oh, you're Megumi-chan from next door. You look so cute today in that dress!" his mother remarked as she studied the pink-dressed girl.

"Thank you Koide-san! I made it myself,'" said Megumi and blushed.

Her salmon pink gown had a lavish lace trim and satin bows. It had pearl-beaded lace draping the off-the shoulder at the neckline and over the sleeves. The bodice had a flattering "V" shape and some beaded lace cascaded down it. The gathered overskirt was lifted into wide poufs and revealed a snow-white satin underskirt.

"You have such talent!" Yuuki commented and nudged his son. Natsuno grunted his reluctant approval.

"Sewing is one of my favourite hobbies! I also enjoy cooking and cleaning." Megumi hid behind her fan to hide her blush. She was really hinting that she was marriage material.

They kept talking about their shared interests and fashion.

"Intelligent, beautiful, crafty and funny!" Azusa commented. "If only our boy was eighteen, you two would be married in a matter of seconds!"

"_Are __you __fucking __kidding __me__?" _Natsuno had to stop himself from stomping the ground and slapping her. The three laughed and Natsuno stared at them in contempt. Was this how his future would be here?

A trumpet was heard from the far end of the room. It was the signal for the assembly to take their place on the dance floor.

"It was so nice meeting you, Koide and Yuuki-san," Megumi said as she bowed once again. "I hope that we can meet for tea someday."

"Of course, come over anytime!" Yuuki answered and bowed back.

"I have to dance with Masao now...," she muttered with disgust behind the fan. "I'll see you soon, Yuuki-kun."

She made sure that the couple weren't looking when she opened the fan as wide as she could and winked to the teen.

He raised his eyebrow, because he knew what that sign meant. What was she onto?

The fan was not only a way to keep oneself cool, but there was also a hidden fan-language. Fan open and shut quickly meant kiss me, a fan half open meats friendship and a fan shut tight meant hate. There were more signs for different situations but in this case, having the fan wide open is a sign of love.

"What was she talking about?" Natsuno asked his parents when Megumi finally left for the dance floor.

"She is such a perfect young lady. We wrote down your name on her card," his mother said and leered. "You two are dancing the next song."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. You're having the next dance with her and you're going to enjoy it," his father said in a strict voice. "A lady has taken interest in you and you shall accept her request to dance."

"Men are not supposed to be wallflowers," his mother giggled under her fan.

"But-!" he growled as he was interrupted.

"We have no time to argue, we are playing the next song." The pair walked away without a single goodbye.

Natsuno was so frustrated by now and his pills were no help at all. He needed to rest for a while. He went back to the Chesterfield chair but someone was already in it.

Tohru was sitting down with his head on the table and a bottle in his hand. He looked gloomy.

"Did your lady-friend ditch you?" He couldn't help but to have a sarcastic voice. Tohru nodded while still resting his head on the table.

"She is dancing with Ozaki. Just because I danced with her once I'm not allowed to dance with her again." The blond sulked and drank a sip from the scotch bottle. "I hate these goddamn rules."

Natsuno nodded in agreement and sat down next to him. Natsuno knew it was inappropriate to feel happy for someone else's pain, but right now he did. He couldn't explain why.

Natsuno didn't really know how to comfort the teen. Was it now that you were supposed to pat his back and tell him that everything was alright?

"Get up," he finally said. No real comfort there.

Tohru looked up and rolled his eye. He took another sip from the bottle and sat up straight.

"How can you drink that? It's disgusting." He got the feeling of deja vu.

"How can you smoke that?" Tohru pointed at the inner pocket where Natsuno hid his cigarettes.

"Touché," Natsuno said and reached out his hand. "Give me."

"He-hey! I don't want to give you alcohol to a youngster," the blond teased as he held the bottle away from the boy's reach.

"Shut up, you're only one year older than me," Natsuno teased as he tried grabbing the bottle. "Besides, I don't wan't to be sober when I dance with the lady of the night."

"Let me guess, Megumi charmed your parents into letting you dance with her." Tohru laughed and passed him the bottle. Natsuno's silence confirmed his statement.

"That's the typical Shimizu, charming her way through everything."

"Look who's talking...," Natsuno muttered as he tried the scotch but put it away as quickly as he had brought it up. It smelled strong and icky.

"What was that?" Tohru asked. Natsuno had been acting so strangely today. He shook the feeling off and went back to his alcohol.

They sat and stared at the dance floor. There were some elders giving them dirty looks but Tohru didn't seem to mind. Natsuno's presence was all he needed to be cheered up again.

A pink-haired girl came running from across the room, almost tripping over the couples that were dancing, towards them.

"What is she doing, it's not time for the dance now," Natsuno sighed and put Tohru's bottle under the table. Women shouldn't see men drinking this heavily.

"Your parents want to see you. They said it's urgent."

Natsuno reluctantly stood up and waved to his friend.

"Don't you dare sulk when I get back."

"Just go."

Natsuno walked towards the orchestra where his parents were standing. They both looked very displeased.

"We just talked to Hirosawa," Yuuki began as he crossed his arms. "You're in trouble, mister."

"_Oh __boy__..._" Well, Natsuno was expecting this conversation to happen anyway...

"He said that you've been skipping school for the past week!" his father snapped. "Not to mention violating the school rules that strictly forbid swearing, being rude to teachers and other students, not paying attention in class and ruining school property." It was hard for him to whisper in a low voice while scolding his son.

"He was considering expelling you!" his mother sniffed in a handkerchief. "Do you know how embarrassing it was, convincing him to let you stay?"

Natsuno remained quiet and stared at the marble ground.

"And just now we heard some complaining from some people, they said that two young men are drinking and making a ruckus," his father continued "That scotch was for the whole table, not just you!"

"Can't you go a single minute without making a fool of yourself?!" his mother added.

It was not Natsuno who had drunken that scotch, but he remained quiet. He owed it to Tohru.

"I will treat you a lesson after this, Natsuno. So don't you dare run off again."

He had nowhere to flee anymore. Whatever he would do now, his fate was the same.

Natsuno bit his lip as a trumped called in the distance. It was time for the next dance.

"Now go dance with that nice girl." His father put his hand on his forehead. He looked as if he was in pain.

"I'm not going to." Natsuno shook his fist as he still had his eyes fixed on the ground. His anger was boiling inside of him.

"Natsuno, just go and do as you're told for once!" his mother growled and pointed on the dance floor.

_"Do as I am told? It's your fault that I'm like this! It your fault for making me a social outcast, and it's your fault for making me believe that I was the weird one. Just because I did like I was told in the past."_

_"I don't listen to the likes of you anymore."_

He looked up and stared at his mother with his haunting violet eyes. He took a big breath before speaking.

"You know what? Maybe I will." Natsuno _smiled_. It looked so sincere. I was almost a bit frightening.

The couple looked at each other in disbelief. Had they really convinced him this easily?

Natsuno took up the white dancing gloves from his pockets and carefully put them on.

"I'll give you a show," he mumbled as left them in shock.

They followed Natsuno with their eyes. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

He went straight through the dance floor, which was beginning to be filled with happy couples. Some ladies stood at the edge of the dance floor, waiting to be picked up by their dance partner. Her eyes filled with glee as she saw the violet-haired boy going in her direction.

Her friends gathered around her like pigeons and began rallying her up for the dance.

"This will be the highlight of the evening!" her brown-haired friend said.

"I know, but I can't believe it!" Megumi used her fan to cool herself. She was sweating like crazy.

She got ready to present her hand as the young man got closer. It was just like she had dreamed it would be. Her prince was coming for her, they would share this romantic dance and run away together after the party. Megumi closed her eyes and squealed in delight.

When she opened them the violet-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. She looked around in a panic but couldn't find him. She met her friend's equally confused face. Kaori stared at something behind the pink-haired girl. Megumi turned around and gasped at the scene.

Natsuno had walked straight past her and towards the tables. He was not planning to dance with her.

He knocked on the shoulder of the man who had his head buried in the table. As the blond lifted his head up to see what the matter when his hand was grabbed and he was pulled away from the table.

"Where are you taking me, Natsuno?" Tohru tugged at Natsuno's sleeve as he was reluctantly dragged across the floor.

"We're going to dance." There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The blond began to nervously laugh and caused a few couples to look their way, not to mention Natsuno's parents, who noticed that their boy was bringing a _man_ to the dance floor.

Natsuno stopped when they were at the center of the room. He looked in his parent's direction to make sure they were looking, and indeed they were. Their shocked expression made his adrenaline pump.

"Wait, you're serious, aren't you?" Tohru said as they stood still on the dance floor.

"Yes." The trumpets from the stair could be heard. The music was about to start. "Screw the rules."

Tohru looked around and saw that pairs were beginning to take their position. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to Natsuno.

"Well then, let's give show these stuck ups how to dance." There was some doubt in his voice but it was too late to turn back.

A long tone ringed out from a violin. Two cellos began accompanying it with calm strokes.

All the pairs bowed to each other and so the boys did the same. They nodded their heads and made eye contact.

Tohru mouthed the pace so that they were on the same page. Natsuno did the same.

One, two, three, one, two, three. It's easy as that.

The piano began playing the main melody accompanied by the cellos and violins.

Tohru grasped the younger boy's hand and put the other on his waist. This would be such a strange waltz with two that only knew how to lead. They both stared blandly at each other, making them seem even more serious to their audience.

Tohru took a confident step away with his right foot, _one_; he stepped out with his left, _two_; then met the left foot with the right, _three_. They repeated the steps until Natsuno gave him a different expression than his usual blank one. Just by looking at him Tohru could read his mind: he thought this was too easy.

Tohru then took a bigger, bolder step and took more space on the dance floor as they promenaded in a square. His uncombed hair swung as they turned.

The other dancers had their eyes on them instead of their dance partners; this was indeed a weird sight.

Natsuno took the lead and promenaded a few steps, making more eyes turn their way. He did a natural turn and then began dipping the blonde into a spin. He continued spinning and turning the motion into syncopated pivots, a move that took years to perfect.

The movement made them leave the safe embrace and lean on their backs. They were still connected by their hand grasp and legs.

Tohru felt that he was getting dizzy. Natsuno smirked at the blond had a hard time keeping up. This was like a game in his head: who could be the biggest show off.

Tohru made a turn straight to the right and locked their feet into a promenade stance. He managed it to look intentional and elegant.

Tohru tried taking the lead when he let go of Natsuno's waist. He lifted his right arm as he pushed Natsuno in a outside turn, but Natsuno took Tohru's left hand with his own. He turned to Tohru sideways, so that the blond's shoulder was in front of him.

He then let go of his left hand and did a half spin to the blond's right hand and then back to the left. When Natsuno went back to the left hand Tohru lifted it up and he spun back to him, face to face. This was a fight for dominance.

Tohru grabbed beneath Natsuno's left arm and took a hold of his right arm really tightly. He spun the younger teen around so that Natsuno lifted his left leg a bit off the ground. They spun in a counter clockwise circle and Natsuno put his foot to the ground to stop the movement but still hung off Tohru. His reluctant face told his partner that this was enough. The blond lifted Natsuno up slowly, so that he was in equal height as him. They were closer to each other than they had ever been before. Their face almost touched so Natsuno leaned to his right ear and whispered.

"Spin me like that again and I'll punch you."

The blond laughed and pushed him off. He had to get the highest score for that stunt.

They promenaded across the room. Even though there were so many dancers, they felt like the only ones on the floor.

There were whispers and fingers pointing and they had the whole party's attention. This was such a shock for everyone in the old fashioned town. The boys didn't mind. They were in a state of euphoria, so it seemed.

The music was too short, or maybe it was time that had gone by too fast.

Tohru leaned closer, as the orchestra played the final verse, and whispered into his Natsuno's ear.

"Your dad looks furious."

"All according to plan," Natsuno explained. "If they make me feel miserable I'll make them feel miserable too."

"You're selfish," he commented. He didn't know how his parents really were.

"So are you," Natsuno responded.

"We're both horrible then." Tohru laughed and spun him around before the violin did its final stroke.

The music stopped.

Nobody clapped their hands or made a single sound. Natsuno looked around the room; they got stares from everywhere. He looked back at Tohru, who looked like he was going to explode from the laughter that he held inside him.

Natsuno grabbed the blonde's hand and took it up in the air as they both bowed dramatically in front of the spectators. Some older women gasped in shock.

He glanced in the directions of the orchestra. His father eyes looked as if they could set everyone in this room on fire. Natsuno blew him a kiss that made the man bang his hand on the instrument and steer attention to himself.

"Nothing to see here! I think that the boys had too much to drink, that's all," Yuuki stuttered nervously as some people began whispering to each other again. "Put on some music!"

The pair then slowly and calmly walked up the stairway, almost tripping from the dizziness. They could both breathe out as they heard music and talking downstairs.

Tohru collapsed immediately and his laughter filled the empty hallway. He began tearing up from the fit.

Natsuno began to chuckle; he couldn't keep it back. Before he knew it he was laughing uncontrollably. Natsuno felt as if he was about to drown in laughter. It left him breathless and gasping for air.

He fell next to Tohru with a thud.

They stopped and turned to each other where they were laying on the floor. As soon as they made eye contact they burst out laughing again. Kicking in the air, holding their arms to their stomachs to try and keep away the snickering.

_He __laughed__. __He __actually __laughed__._

"The look on their faces was priceless!" began Tohru as he coughed between the giggles. "We have to do more things like this, Natsuno."

"Heh, sure..." He chuckled anxiously. His pulse was going out of control; he was nervous and his eyes were avoiding the blond. What was happening to him?

He needed to hide.

"You should go now," he said out of the blue.

"What, already? But we could hang out some more!" Tohru looked at him with his puppy eyes.

Natsuno turned, went inside his room and tried closing the door behind him. The elder teen had already put his arm in the way.

"Natsunoooo-" The flustered teen pushed the arm away so that he could close the door.

"Good night." He slammed the door shut and put his back against the door. The blond banged on the door but it was in vain as the stubborn teen remained quiet.

"Urgh... One second he is laughing and the other he is cranky again," the blond muttered as he began walking back to the party.

Natsuno glided down the door and sat down. He took off his dancing gloves and looked on his hands, which were sweaty and twitching.

He put his head against the door as it began to ache, and his chest was in pain, too.

As he opened his eyes he realised that he knew what this feeling was. A feeling he swore he would never feel again. He put his head in his hands.

"I'm such an idiot..."

* * *

A/N

Heya! Long time no see. So this chapter took me ages to write, but it's finally done! It feels so good having it off my chest, for now.

I love writing in Natsuno's POV. I've always imagined that he has tons of feelings boiling up inside of him but he never expresses them. So writing them down is really fun. The dance scene was also fun to write. I had to go through a lot of ballroom dance videos before I had a clear image, but still!

I will try to update at least every month, but I have school and a social life *cough* not. I think I will finish Cat and Mouse before writing the third chapter, since Cat and Mouse is a one-shot. Buuuuuuut who knows, I'll maybe finnish on the next chapter too!

Thank you, Takigawa Aki for beta-reading and helping me with the fiction 3 He is an awesome writer so go check his fics out! owo


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